This application claims benefit of Japanese Application Nos. 2000-350116 filed on Nov. 16, 2000 and 2001-037357 filed on Feb. 14, 2001, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heating treatment system, or more particularly, a heating treatment system that heats an affected part for treatment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, heating treatment systems are used to incise an affected part, coagulate or arrest bleeding during a surgical operation or an internal operation. The heating treatment system includes a treatment unit in which a heating means for heating an affected part or a lesion is incorporated. Heat dissipated from the heating means in the treatment unit is applied to the affected part for the purpose of incision, coagulation, hemostasis, or any other treatment.
As one type of heating treatment system, a heating treatment system having a treatment unit, which includes a plurality of heater segments, as a heating means has been proposed as described, for example, in Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 53-9031.
The treatment unit applies heat, which is dissipated from the plurality of heater segments that is set to the same temperature, to an affected part for the purpose of treatment.
However, the heating treatment system described in the Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 53-9031 heats the plurality of heater segments up to the same temperature. When the heater segments are adapted to a treatment unit having a different shape, a distribution of temperature values in the treatment unit may become uneven.
The present invention attempts to break through the foregoing situation. An object of the present invention is to provide a heating treatment system capable of producing an appropriate distribution of temperature values in any of various shapes of treatment unit, and achieving treatment on a stable basis.
A heating treatment system for treating a living tissue according to the present invention consists mainly of a therapeutic instrument, a temperature level switch, a temperature-of-heating element setting circuit, and a plurality of output circuits. The therapeutic instrument includes a plurality of heating elements that dissipate heat in proportion to fed driving power, and a heat transfer plate coupled to the heating element. The temperature level switch is used to input an instruction for adjusting the temperature of the heat transfer plate. The temperature-of-heating element setting circuit sets temperature values, up to which the heating elements are heated, in response to the instruction given using the temperature level switch. The plurality of output circuits feed driving power to the heating elements according to the plurality of temperature values up to which the heating elements are heated and which are set by the temperature-of-heating element setting circuit.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawings.